"In a temple? Which temple?"
I thought the One - Eyed Buddha Mother would lead the Xue mother and son to Sheng Shixun for protection. I never expected they would go to such a place!!
Si Jiangchen listened briefly to Fu Ning's report on the phone, then raised his eyebrows and looked at me. "Hongluo Temple."
"... Uh, what kind of place is that?"
Although I had lived in Beijing for so long, I knew nothing about it. The Hongluo Temple Si Jiangchen mentioned sounded eerie.
Si Jiangchen looked at me rather helplessly. "Xiao He, you're a feng shui master. How can you not even know about these temples? How do you and Wen do business?"
Normally, feng shui masters would maintain good relationships with well - known temples. If the monks or Taoists in the temple couldn't handle some exorcism or divination tasks, the feng shui masters would step in.
If the registered monks and Taoists in the temple were like regular "police officers", we street - wandering fortune - tellers were like bounty hunters. Those tasks of killing ghosts and eliminating misfortunes that the orthodox temples couldn't handle could be solved by us for a fee.
However, Wen and I knew that Du Peiyun had always been committed to building good relationships with these orthodox sects and the upper - class. How could we dare to throw ourselves into the lion's den?
So we could only make a living among ordinary people, earning a meager income.
"I... I didn't dare to wander around. It was already good luck for me to have enough to eat!"
I don't know why, but when I told Si Jiangchen about the life I used to take for granted, I felt a bit aggrieved. As I spoke, my eyes even turned red.
Si Jiangchen sighed and put his arm around me. I buried my head in his chest, and tears welled up involuntarily.
"... Boss Si, what should I do? Should I break in and forcefully bring them out?"
On the phone, Fu Ning's voice was full of anxiety. He was really afraid something would happen to Xue Shuo. If so, he would feel even more guilty towards his teacher!
"Do you want to lose your job as a police officer?!"
Si Jiangchen's voice rumbled from his chest, deep and full of strange tension. It made my heart tremble...
"Being so impulsive, you've already harmed your teacher. Do you want to harm his son too?"
"I!"
Fu Ning on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, his voice full of grievance. "I can't just stand by and watch something happen to my teacher's son!"
Si Jiangchen snorted. "If you really care about Xue Shuo, stay there and keep an eye on them. Wait for us to handle it."
After saying that, he hung up the phone without waiting for Fu Ning to say anything else.
"Are... are you going to help us?"
I peeked out from Si Jiangchen's embrace and looked at him in surprise. I knew Si Jiangchen was very capable, but he couldn't see ghosts and didn't want to get involved in the worldly cause - and - effect. So it really surprised me that he offered to help the Xue mother and son.
"Otherwise?!"
Si Jiangchen tightened his arm around me. "If I don't keep an eye on you, and you get struck by the Five - Thunder Rebound again... How am I supposed to live?!"
"Ugh..."
I was almost out of breath from his tight embrace, but my heart was as sweet as if I had eaten honey. Si Jiangchen's kindness to me was different from that of Wen and Jian. It made me feel both flustered and secretly happy, as if his appearance in my life filled the empty space in my heart.
"I'm going to marry you. If you risk your life for others and something happens to you, what am I supposed to do?!"
Si Jiangchen's face showed that gritted - teeth expression again. "You're not alone anymore. You have a man. Before you do anything dangerous, you'd better think clearly. Do you want to make me a widower?!"
"..."
I didn't dare to look into Si Jiangchen's eyes, so I fixed my gaze on his handsome jaw. His sudden outburst of intense emotions made me think of Granny Bai's words. "Are... are you jealous?"
I found it a bit funny in my heart. I never thought I would ever have someone jealous of me in this world!
"I... jealous of what?!"
Si Jiangchen sneered twice, reached out and lifted my chin, then leaned in and kissed my lips deeply. After a wild kiss, he continued. "Xiao He, I'm not jealous... I just want you!"
"Ugh... Don't... don't act so recklessly!"
I was almost out of breath from his kiss. With great difficulty, I struggled free and took a few deep breaths. Then I pushed hard against his chest. "Xue Shuo is in danger, and Officer Xue is also in danger. You can't... can't..."
"Can't what?"
Si Jiangchen squinted his eyes. His dark pupils were hidden under his long eyelashes, like a beast hiding in the forest waiting to hunt.
"... Can't, can't!!"
I bit my lips anxiously, knowing he was deliberately playing dumb. "Can't do that kind of thing with me!"
"Xiao He, I don't understand. What kind of thing is that?!"
The corner of Si Jiangchen's lips lifted slightly. He reached out and grabbed my waist, picked me up, and walked back into the house.
"No... don't!"
I was shocked and struggled in his arms, wanting to stand on the ground. Du Wenzhong followed behind cautiously, not knowing whom to help. So he just carried the bottles and jars containing Jian and the others and pretended to be deaf and dumb as he went to the altar.
"If you keep seducing me like this, I really won't be able to hold back!"
As Si Jiangchen spoke, he carried me through my bedroom to the front of the store. There, an old Lincoln was already parked at the alley entrance. When it saw us coming out, it flashed its headlights immediately.
"Boss."
Ji Chen got out of the driver's seat and opened the car door for Si Jiangchen.
"Hongluo Temple."
Si Jiangchen stuffed me into the car. Then he gave instructions to Ji Chen. "Have you contacted the master there?"
"Everything is done as you ordered!"
Ji Chen nodded, skillfully got into the car, started the engine, and turned the steering wheel towards the alley exit...
Hongluo Temple was located on the top of the Western Hills in Beijing. It was a three - entrance, five - story temple covered with bright yellow glazed tiles. The six - character mantras were written in gold paint on the red walls, making it look mysterious and magnificent.
Hongluo Temple was a large Tibetan Buddhist temple. Lamas from various Hinayana Buddhist temples often came here to practice. Moreover, it was said that making wishes here was extremely effective, so the temple was always full of pilgrims. Every day, countless pious men and women would climb the mountain to burn incense and pray for their desires.
When our car arrived at the foot of Hongluo Temple, dawn had broken. The sun rose from behind the mountain, shining on the yellow glazed tiles and giving the whole temple a solemn and sacred aura.
There were already a continuous stream of pilgrims climbing up the mountain. They would take a few devout steps and then prostrate themselves on the ground, heading towards the glittering temple. I couldn't help but shiver. I reached out and grabbed Si Jiangchen, who had just got out of the car, and whispered, "... This place is rife with demonic aura!"